CEBU CITY – The Department of Health-Central Visayas (DOH 7) assured that the region has adequate supply of medical oxygen.
DOH 7 gave the assurance after medical oxygen started selling fast amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in Metro Cebu.
“We do not see the shortage. We have an inventory and we have the collected the regional need for oxygen,” Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH -7 director, said in a press conference Monday afternoon.
Last Monday, several individuals flocked to a pharmacy in front of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center to buy oxygen tanks.
Some customers said the oxygen was for confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients who were experiencing difficulty in breathing.
Bernadas reminded the public to be cautious in using medical oxygen.
“Please do that very carefully. There should be medical personnel supervision. Oxygen is flammable, and can cause greater risk of accidents rather than protecting our COVID patients. Oxygen is flammable and therefore more dangerous when we put them in our homes,” he said.
In a separate press conference, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia likewise assured that the province has enough oxygen supplies.
“We have told our chiefs of hospitals that we might be augmenting their supply. We will be distributing 50 additional oxygen tanks in all our four provincial hospitals,” Garcia said.
The governor was scheduled to meet with suppliers of oxygen for medical use to ensure enough supply of exygen.
“I’ll be meeting with the different oxygen suppliers in the province. To see to it that our resources will not be depleted, and that hospitals should be given priority,” Garcia said.